The Cat's Meow
by LostSocks11
Summary: Gaara finds himself a furry little friend that he feels like he can trust completely, but it turns out that his cute little companion is a bit more than what he originally bargained for.
1. Chapter 1: A Visitor

Decided to finally finish this story after three years. I think I know what direction I want it to go. Any way, I've updated each chapter, so for those of you who have been waiting patiently, hope you enjoy!

I do not own Naruto or any of the characters. I only own my OC.

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><p><strong>Chapter One<strong>

The streets of Sunagakure were quiet and desolate. Not a soul could be found wandering about the village at such a late hour of the night. The only movement that could be detected was the slight rustle of sand being kicked up by quick, strong winds.

The Kazekage looked down at this scene from the balcony just outside his office. He loved Suna nights because everything was so peaceful and serene. No loud noises, no one to bother him, just quiet. He often found himself out and about on nights like these. Even though the one tailed beast Shukaku had been extracted from him several years ago, he found that it was much more difficult to pick up a consistent sleeping schedule after fifteen years of insomnia.

As he continued to stare down at the streets below, his mind began to roam. He thought of his life; how when he was younger he would kill anyone who looked at him the wrong way and now here he was, Kazekage of Suna. It was by far no easy task to accomplish such a distinguished title, but somehow he had managed to achieve his dream. No one called him Sabaku no Gaara, the monster of Suna anymore. No one ran away from him in fear. No one treated him with disrespect. He was very much loved by his villagers and because of that he found peace in his life.

Figuring that he had spent enough time reflecting, Gaara returned to his office to finish up some last minute paperwork, hoping that tonight would be one of the rare occasions that he would be able to fall asleep.

Gaara took his time returning to his house. It wasn't very far from his office, but he enjoyed stalling as long as he could, for calm nights like these only came around once every so often. Not that he had to worry about hooligans' bantering about at such an hour, but the weather in Suna was always unpredictable. Suna was after all, found in the Land of the Wind.

As he continued walking towards his home he couldn't help but feel as though something was nearby. As if on cue, he caught something out of the corner of his eye. He stopped walking and stared straight at where he had seen movement. Nothing was moving now, but he knew something was there. He approached a small alley way where he had seen the thing that had diverged his attention from his original course.

Nothing.

"_I could have sworn I saw something,"_ he thought to himself. _"Perhaps the years of sleepless nights are finally catching up with my better judgment."_ With that thought, he continued home to where his bed awaited him.

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><p>No matter how he situated himself in his bed Gaara could not fall asleep. He even attempted menial rituals such as counting sheep but nothing worked.<p>

Finally becoming fed up, he got up from his bed and made his way towards the bathroom, thinking that maybe a hot shower could relax him enough to put him into a slumber.

The warm water rained down from the showerhead relaxing Gaara's muscles as well as his irritation. His eyes were closed against the downpour and his bright red hair was darker than usual due to the wetness. He leaned his body against one of the walls surrounding him, taking his body weights pressure off his feet.

As he continued to lean against the wall, he could feel his body giving into the demands of sleep. He turned off the water, dried, and dressed for bed.

Once again he found himself in bed attempting to fall asleep, this time with a little more success. He could feel his mind slowly shutting down; his body limp and motionless. A few more seconds and he would have had the opportunity to visit the land of dreams that he wished he could acquaint himself with more often. Unfortunately for him, he would have no such luck tonight, for right as he was about to leave the world of reality, he was awakened by a weight burrowing into his bare chest.

His upper body shot up, his eyes wide from the sudden occurrence. His abrupt movement caused the weight on his chest to shift into his lap. It wasn't until he rubbed his dark rimmed eyes that he could properly see what had caused his sleep disturbance.

Sitting in his lap, staring straight into his shocked eyes, was a white cat. He continued to stare at the animal as question after question raced through his mind. _"How did this cat get in here? Where did it come from? How did it get in my bed? Did it fall from somewhere?" _As this thought crossed his mind, he managed to peel his eyes away from the cat's stare to search his ceiling. There was no way it could have just dropped in from above, even if that's what it felt like when it landed on Gaara's chest.

As Gaara continued observing his ceiling, he failed to realize that the cat had moved higher up his lap in order to nuzzle his lower abdomen. It wasn't until he felt the cat's soft fur against his bare skin that he looked down once more at the feline.

Unaware of what to do, Gaara decided that nothing could be done at this particular moment. He grabbed an extra pillow from his bed and placed it on the ground next to him. Next, he picked the cat up from his lap and placed it on top of the pillow. He lay back down and brought the covers up to shield his stomach. He then closed his eyes and tried to relive the events that had just occurred before the cat had appeared.

As he waited for sleep he couldn't hear any noise coming from the cat below. _"Good, it's resting," _he thought, and with that passing through his mind he finally drifted off into a deep sleep that he had been hoping for all day.

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><p>Gaara was awakened early next morning by a warm breath in his face and a soft purring. He opened his eyes seeing that he was face to face with the white cat from the night before. <em>"It must have jumped up into my bed after I fell asleep," <em>he thought. He frowned slightly before sitting up and stretching his arms above his head. His shift in weight on the bed had caused the feline to awaken. It yawned, showing off its sharp, white teeth before walking over to Gaara's position on the bed and nuzzling its head affectionately against his side.

Gaara tensed slightly at this action. He wasn't used to affection, even if it was from an animal. The whole subject of relationships and charismatic gestures was still a foreign subject to him considering he spent most of his time alone in his office. He had never received affection as a child, and it wasn't until the past few years that he had even been accepted by other people.

The cat finished its rubbing and sat back in order to stare up at Gaara.

Gaara stared back at the cat blankly before asking, "What do you want?"

"Meow," was its only response.

He sighed, not believing that he had just asked a cat a question, and what was even more disbelieving was that he half expected it to answer him. Shaking his head at his own stupidity, Gaara tossed aside his covers, burying the cat under a heap of cloth, and began dressing for the day.

As he pulled on the clothes he usually wore under his Kazekage robes, he could hear the sounds of the cat trying to escape from the blankets.

Once he was fully dressed, Gaara turned around to see that the cat had successfully freed itself and was now, once again, staring at him. He crossed his arms over his chest and glared back at the cat.

"_All I have to do is get this thing out of my house and it'll find its way back home."_ He uncrossed his arms and walked over to where the cat was sitting. He reached out to grab it, but the cat had jumped down from the bed and began walking towards the bedroom door. Gaara followed the cat out of his room and towards the front door. He opened the door and stepped outside into the hot Suna sun. The cat was sitting by his feet, almost as if it were waiting to see what Gaara was going to do next.

Gaara closed and locked his front door before making his way towards the Kazekage building. As he made his way there, he passed a few of his villagers who greeted him politely, to which he responded with a slight nod. It really was astonishing how much things had changed in the past few years. Even to this day sometimes Gaara still couldn't believe that the people of Suna accepted him to the point where they were proud to call him their Kazekage.

Gaara had finally reached the front door that lead into the Kazekage building, but before he could enter a hand on his shoulder had stopped him. He glanced to his side to see who had touched him and was not at all surprised to see his older brother Kankuro.

"Hey little brother, how's it going?"

Gaara responded simply in his usual quiet, raspy voice, "Everything is fine."

"Glad to hear it," Kankuro said patting Gaara on the shoulder slightly. "I actually came here to tell you that Temari will be returning home from Konoha today. I received a message from her a few days ago stating that her mission went smoothly and to be expecting her home with her report in a few days."

Gaara nodded at this. Kankuro always knew everything about who was in the village and who wasn't. He had been appointed to the head of the Ninja Messaging core within the village, so he always was up to date on which ninja were available when Gaara needed to hand out missions. Gaara was very thankful for this, having Kankuro as his right hand man seemed to take a little pressure off of Gaara's plate.

"Hey Gaara?"

"Hmn?"

"Did you get a pet or something?"

Gaara gazed at Kankuro slightly confused before he followed Kankuro's finger that was pointing at Gaara's feet. Sure enough, the white cat followed him all the way to the building and was now sitting patiently at Gaara's feet, waiting for him to move.

Feeling slightly frustrated, Gaara nudged the cat to its feet with his foot, attempting to make it go away. He had little success because the cat simply made its way back towards him.

Kankuro snickered slightly. "Looks like you found a friend, huh Gaara?"

"It's not like I wanted this thing. It just kind of appeared in my room last night, and now it won't leave me alone."

"What do you mean 'it appeared in your room'?"

"Just that. Last night I was trying to fall asleep, and out of nowhere this cat landed on my chest."

Kankuro looked slightly concerned at this information. "You don't think it's tracking you, do you? This animal could be a part of some plot to find out information on Suna's Kazekage."

At this sentence both Gaara and Kankuro looked back down at the cat who was staring at the two.

"I don't know," Gaara said. "I think if it was a tracking animal it would be trained to keep its distance from its target. Not only that, but cats aren't exactly the animal of choice for those kinds of things. Honestly, I think this is just a normal cat that won't leave me alone."

"I guess you're right," Kankuro remarked. "Still, it is very odd that it appeared out of nowhere. There wasn't a collar on it or anything indicating who might own it?"

"Nothing."

"Well I guess you got yourself a new pet then."

Gaara stiffened at Kankuro's remark. "Don't be ridiculous, like I'd keep this thing. I don't know the first thing about cats. I'm sure that it'll just go away after a while."

Kankuro shrugged. "Beats me. It is kind of cute though." He bent down and scratched behind the cat's ear. It purred happily pushing its head further into Kankuro's hand. "Aw, look how loving it is."

Gaara just sighed and walked into his building, closing the entrance door behind him, leaving his brother and the cat outside.

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><p>The day seemed to go by aggravatingly slow for Gaara. Each day he spent hours signing paperwork, dealing with the council members, and handing out ninja assignments. The paperwork always seemed to outweigh the council meetings and the missions.<p>

He sighed as he turned his chair to look out the window. The sun was already beginning to set and he had not seen or heard from Temari at all. He wondered if she had made it home alright, when he was shaken from his thoughts by a sharp knock on his door.

"Enter," he said softly.

He watched the door swing open to reveal none other than his older sister. She looked just the same as always; four spikey blonde pony tails, her giant fan attached to her back, and the long black outfit she usually wore. Nothing seemed abnormal, except what she was holding in her arms.

"Hi Gaara!" she said happily. "Look what I found outside the building." She held out the small, white cat that had burdened Gaara the night before.

"We've met before," Gaara said irritably.

"Have you now?" Temari asked, cocking her eyebrow slightly. As she was asking this, the cat had jumped down from her arms and swiftly made its way over to where Gaara was sitting. It began rubbing its head against Gaara's legs, purring contently. "Aw, look she likes you."

"She?"

"Well yea, it's pretty easy to tell the difference."

Gaara grunted and turned his attention to the animal. "Move. Go on, go see Temari." The cat had its full attention on Gaara as he spoke. Instead of doing what he asked though, it jumped up in his lap and made itself comfortable. "Uh…"

Temari giggled more at Gaara's frustration than anything. It was true that her younger brother wasn't very social, but he had definite leadership that always made people want to follow his orders exactly. It was especially amusing now to see that Gaara could command a village full of ninjas, but couldn't control a mere cat. "I guess it likes you Gaara. Looks like you're stuck with her."

"Why can't you just keep her?"

At this remark Temari simply pointed at his lap where the cat had dozed off. "I think that's all the answer you need."

"How do we even know this is a stray? What if someone's looking for it?"

"If it's really that big of a deal to you then look for any 'Lost Cat' posters that might be up. Maybe even look through your ninja missions and see if someone put in one for a lost white cat. Until then, you're stuck with her."

"But I don't even know how to take care of a cat."

Temari sighed. "You're the Kazekage, I'm sure you'll figure it out. Just go buy her some food and a litter box. Cats are pretty independent animals, I'm sure she won't be too much trouble. Trust me, you'll be fine. Who knows, maybe this will be a good experience for you."

Gaara grunted in response.

"Well anyway, here," she handed Gaara a small scroll. This is the reason I came here in the first place. My mission went well, everything you need to know is in that scroll. If that's all you need, I'll be seeing you." With that said Temari headed towards the door. Right before she left though she glanced over her shoulder to look at her brother. "I really think that this cat might do you some good Gaara. You've changed a lot in these past few years, but you still seclude yourself often from others. Even if she's just a cat she might help." Then, Temari was gone.

Gaara looked down at the white ball of fur sleeping in his lap. He reached out and scratched behind its ear, earning him a soft _purr_. He gave the creature a small smile. _"Maybe she's right. Maybe you can teach me something; after all, you are kind of cute."_


	2. Chapter 2: An Unexpected Surprise

Updated Chapter two! Hope you enjoy!

I do not own Naruto or any of the characters. I only own my OC.

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><p><strong>Chapter Two<strong>

From the day Gaara had decided to keep the cat, he soon realized that even if you lived a life of solitude it was not difficult to accept affection, especially if it was from an adorable cat. He had been taking care of the cat for a little over a month and he had to admit, it was just what the doctor had ordered.

The cat followed him everywhere. She had become his small shadow, always falling into step behind him.

Gaara had, of course, gone out and bought the things a cat owner would need: cat food, a few toys, treats, and a small bed. Unfortunately, he soon found out that his little friend didn't care for her bed as much as she did for Gaaras. Every night he would put her in her bed, which was next to his own, and he would settle down to sleep in his own bed. Within 5 minutes, he would feel a slight added weight on the edge of his mattress, and soon he would be graced with the presence of his feline companion. At first when this happened he would lightly scold her and then put her back in her bed. He soon found out that even if he did this, she would somehow find her way into his bed during the night. Eventually, he just gave up fighting with her and accepted the fact that his bed was now her bed as well.

As January approached, Gaara was beginning to feel a little uneasy. His birthday was coming up soon and that meant one year older. True, he was still young and he had achieved much in his life, but when it came to his personal life he couldn't help but feel as though he had accomplished nothing. He was going to be turning 21 this year, and he had barely experienced anything when it came to having a girlfriend. Sure he had plenty of opportunities; after all, he was a young Kazekage. Whenever he walked down the streets during the day he would sometimes catch teenage girls batting their eyelashes at him or hear their hushed whispers about his good looks. Sadly, he never jumped at these opportunities. Even if he could get with any girl in Suna he always hesitated, something that was very uncharacteristic for him.

He put his pencil down, deciding to take a quick rest from his current paperwork. His little companion was resting peacefully on his lap, but turned to look at him when she heard the small _'thud' _of his pencil being placed down. Gaara began petting her gently as he closed his eyes for a quick rest. He felt her lick his hand lightly and smiled inwardly.

"Don't you think it's a little odd that I've had you for a while now and I still haven't named you?" he questioned, opening his eyes.

The cat just stared back at him with its bluish-grey eyes.

"The thing is, I've often thought about what to call you but nothing seems right. I guess I've always been that way though. Even when I was younger I had this teddy bear that I took everywhere with me, in fact I think it might still be sitting in my house somewhere. I've had that bear for as long as I can remember and I never named it."

"Mrow."

Gaara continued to stroke her fur, feeling how soft her coat was. "Maybe if I had a friend like you growing up I wouldn't have turned into a blood-thirsty demon."

Almost as if she could sense Gaara's sadness, she placed her paw on top of his hand that was patting her.

Gaara looked down at the small paw. It was strange, he often found himself sharing his past as well as his thoughts with this creature. She really did seem to have an effect on him. Never once did he think it was lame or peculiar that his best friend was a cat that had no name. It made him happy to know that he could talk to her and not be judged. She was always there comforting him no matter what he told her. He really did love this animal.

Picking her up in his arms, he did something he had never done in his life: he nuzzled his nose against her own. It was so unlike his usual passive personality, and anyone looking in at the scene might question whether it had actually happened.

Gaara felt the tip of his nose receiving a light lick and smiled. The little animal continued to nuzzle her head against Gaaras, and Gaara couldn't help but feel that it was the most adorable action she had ever done. "I love you too," he whispered, and within the blink of an eye he was falling backwards in his chair. He felt his head hit against the floor and an unnatural amount of weight was being placed on top of his body. Barely being able to realize what was happening, he felt two arms wrap around him. Next thing he knew, he felt his chest being cuddled into. With all of his might he picked up his upper torso to see what was happening. As he did his eyes met a pair of bluish-grey irises. He blushed slightly realizing that the person who was lying on top of him in a very intimate position was a girl… and she was completely naked. Before he could open his mouth to speak he watched as the girl leaned forward towards him. He then felt her lips being placed softly on top of his own.

To say Gaara was confused would be an understatement. _"What's going on?" _he thought. _"One minute I'm sitting at my desk with my cat and then next thing I kno-… MY CAT!" _He tried to push the girl off him in a furious attempt to make sure his cat was okay, but the girl took his actions to mean something else.

She wound her arms tightly around his neck, refusing to let go, and continued to plant kisses on his lips. Gaara continued his struggle, but seeing as how he was struggling against a naked girl he accidentally ended up palming her breasts in a desperate attempt to create some distance between their bodies. He squeezed her chest lightly before figuring out what exactly he was touching. His face heated up immediately but before he could say anything the naked girl spoke.

"Don't worry Gaara, you don't have to feel nervous around me. Just relax and enjoy yourself. I'll do all the work. You have such a difficult job; you deserve to have some release from all that pent up stress."

"What are you talking about?" he managed to say, but he was soon silenced by a finger to his lips.

"Shhh… don't worry my love, I'll make everything better for you."

"_What's happening? What does she mean 'my love'? I have never seen this girl in my life before and…" _but before he could think of anything else he felt a hand grabbing his crotch and squeezing lightly through the fabric of his pants. He looked down to see that the girl's hand was the culprit for this new sensation.

Never in his life had he experienced anything like this. Sure he had kissed girls before, but none of his relationships had ever escalated to something as intimate as this.

He watched as the girl's hand began making its way towards the top of his pants. She slowly began to slide her hand in, and he could feel her fingertips graze against his member, but before she could do anything else a swift knock was heard at the door.

Gaara didn't know what to do. He was lying beneath a naked girl, who currently had her hand down his pants, and someone was on the other side of the door wanting to speak with him.

Apparently, he must have had an anxious look on his face because the girl leaned over and whispered in his ear, "If we're quiet maybe they'll go away."

There was no such luck of that occurring. The knocking continued and they both heard a voice coming from the other side of the door. "Gaara? Are you in there? I need to talk to you about something."

"_It's Kankuro. Maybe he can-"_ but Gaara's thoughts were interrupted by an overzealous squeal.

"Gaara! It's your brother!" The girl got up from her former position and rushed over to the door, throwing it open to see a very annoyed looking Kankuro. His expression soon changed from annoyed to perplexed seeing as how he was not expecting to be face to face with a girl, and a naked one at that.

"Oh my-" but as soon as Kankuro opened his mouth he was immediately silenced by his brother's voice.

"Kankuro get in here."

He looked past the girl to see his brother attempting to get up from behind his desk. Doing as he was told he moved forward and shut the door behind him.

"Gaara, what is going on?" Kankuro looked from the girl to Gaara. He soon began to think back on how Gaara was getting up from behind his desk just a few seconds ago. His mind began coming up with situations, all of which involved his brother and the girl doing unspeakable acts. Little did he know he was only half right.

"I was sitting at my desk and next thing I know I'm on the ground with this girl on top of me." At this both brothers looked at the girl who was standing in the middle of the room looking at the two.

Gaara didn't get a chance to really take in the girl's appearance before, considering he had no idea what was going on or how he had managed to put himself in a situation like that.

The girl had long light blonde hair that could be mistaken as white. She had light bluish-grey eyes. She was tall and more voluptuous than most girls. Her breasts, that Gaara had acquainted himself with earlier were rather large considering the rest of the girl's built. What was most peculiar though was that he could make out a pair of cat ears on the top of her head.

The girl noticed Gaara eyeing her and gave him a flirtatious wink before speaking. "If it's all the same to you two I think some clothes are in order. Not that I mind being naked in front of Gaara or anything, but if someone were to walk in they might think Gaara incompetent, and I would never want anything like that for my love."

Gaara had to agree with her, even if the way she put it was a little odd. He didn't want to leave her alone considering he had no idea who she was or what she wanted, so he shrugged off his Kazekage robes and handed them to her. She took them and placed them over her head, leaving Gaara in a pair of black pants and a T-shirt. "Thank you Gaara," she said before racing over to where he was and tackling him with a hug.

Kankuro was stunned at this. No one ever touched Gaara so freely, or spoke to him in such a carefree matter. Even if he did have tons of girls dying to date him, none of them had ever initiated something to this caliber. "Gaara, why didn't you tell me you were dating someone?"

Gaara, still being entangled in the girl's arms said, "I'm not. I'm actually trying to figure out what's going on." He went into telling Kankuro how he was sitting at his desk with his cat, and then he was on his back with this girl sitting on top of him. All of this occurring right before he had knocked on the door. Gaara purposely left out the rest of what had happened, figuring that Kankuro didn't need to know every little detail.

"Wow, that really is strange. Where's your cat anyway?" Kankuro asked.

Gaara's eyes widened remembering that he had forgotten about his cat. Was she hurt? Did she run away in the confusion? Was she hiding from all the noise? But before Gaara could say anything the girl cuddling into his side let out a soft, "Meow." He looked down at her and she was staring back at him with the same colored eyes his cat had. Everything began to click into place. This girl was his cat, but how was that even possible?

"I guess I should explain," the girl said. "You see I wasn't always a cat. I come from this clan. The story goes that a man was traveling in the woods and came upon this panther. The panther was wounded so the man nursed it back to health. The panther was so grateful to the man that it showed its appreciation by revealing its true form. In fact, the panther was a beautiful goddess who offered the man sex. She would then bare him a child and the child would help the man through the years as he became older. The man agreed to this and sure enough she bared him a strong baby boy. As the boy grew so did his ego for he was very handsome. Of course not as handsome as my Gaara," she added. "Anyway, you would expect nothing less than beauty from the son of a goddess, so the boy would often boast about his beauty to others. The boy eventually grew into a man and although many women had offered their love to him he refused them all saying that none were worthy of his beauty. One day though, he was hunting in the forest when he saw a young woman bathing herself in a lake. He spied on the woman as she bathed questioning whether she was as beautiful as he was. Eventually, he gave himself away and the woman became infuriated. Ironically, the woman was his mother, the goddess from the beginning of this story. He tried to apologize but the woman found no love in his heart. She cursed him by turning him into a very battered looking cat, saying that if he could ever find someone to love him as a beast of this world then the curse would be broken. After years of wandering, the cat eventually found a young girl who fell in love with him. The moment she spoke the words "I love you," with actual heartfelt meaning behind them, he turned back into a human. The girl was astonished. He thanked the girl by lying with her, and then left her forever, for she was not as beautiful as he. Little did he know that he had impregnated her with a child. That child was cursed from the day he was born, and it is said that once a child turns of age the curse becomes effective and the only way to break the curse is by finding someone who loves you, even if you are just a cat."

"So what you're saying is… Gaara broke your curse?" The girl nodded enthusiastically and tightened her grip around Gaara's arm.

Gaara was completely shocked by all this, though you couldn't tell it from his face. Kankuro just stood looking at the two in utter amazement; whether it was from the girl's story or from the fact that in order to break the curse Gaara had to have fallen in love with her as a cat.

"Kankuro, I think you should leave. It's getting late and I would like to talk to this girl alone."

Kankuro nodded his head in agreement, and left leaving the two alone in Gaara's office. Once the door was shut Gaara turned to face the girl who was still attached to his arm. He nudged her off and led her to the small couch that was in his office. They both sat down and the girl immediately tried to jump on him, but he reacted too quickly for her.

"I don't exactly know how I feel about all this," Gaara began to say. "It's all very confusing to me."

"Don't worry," the girl said reassuringly, "I know that this is probably very new and strange to you Gaara but all that matters is you love me and I love you."

Gaara stiffened at this remark. He loved her? Maybe he had loved her in an affectionate way when she was a cat, but she wasn't a cat anymore. She was a human. How could he love someone, who up until now, he thought was a cat?

Detecting Gaara's confusion, the girl moved closer towards him, placing her hand on his leg soothingly. "I know you've had problems with love in the past Gaara, but I would never betray you."

Gaara winced at this remark. He realized that she knew everything about him. Whenever he was frustrated or lonely he would always talk to her as a cat, and she had always stayed with him, reassuring him that everything was okay in the only way a cat could.

He sighed, "I don't know what to do. I never expected for anything like this to happen."

"I know my love, but it's okay because I can help you through this. I know it's a lot to take in, but we can go home and you can clear your head with a good night's rest."

That thought hadn't even occurred to Gaara until now. His home was technically her home. Did that mean she would be sleeping with him tonight? What if she tried to have sex with him?

Almost as if reading his mind the girl said in a seductive voice, "Or we could stay up late." As she said this Gaara noticed her hand inching closer towards his crotch; she had a lustful glint in her eyes that Gaara had to admit was slightly arousing. He shook his head, clearing his mind of all dirty thoughts before speaking.

"I'll take you home with me tonight until I can figure out all of this." The girl nodded in understanding before Gaara asked, "What's your name?"

The girl chuckled at this before saying, "You know, I don't remember."


	3. Chapter 3: Becoming More Human

Updated Chapter three! Enjoy!

I do not own Naruto or any of the characters. I only own my OC.

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><p><strong>Chapter Three<strong>

Gaara sat on his bed thinking, while he listened to the water running in the shower. The girl, who used to be his pet cat, had asked to take a shower upon returning home. She had now been in there for well over an hour, and Gaara couldn't help but think that was a very un-catlike trait she possessed.

"_How did this happen?" _Gaara thought to himself._ "What am I supposed to do with her? She really isn't a threat to me… other than the fact that she's very affectionate. She said she loved me." _As that final thought crossed his mind he heard the water turn off in the bathroom. A minute later he heard a soft knock at his bedroom door. He got up from his bed to answer it, revealing the cat girl wrapped in a white towel shaking slightly.

"I don't have any clothes to wear," she said as she wrapped her arms around herself. Gaara ushered her into his room and presented her with a pair of his own sleeping attire. She took the clothes from him and dropped the towel from around her body, dressing right in front of him. Gaara blushed slightly, still not used to how open the girl was about being naked in front of him and turned around staring at his bedroom wall. He soon felt the girl's arms encircling his waist, while she pressed her body up against his back. "Thank you for the clothes Gaara," she said softly. Gaara could feel the girl's breath on his ear and fought down a shudder.

"You're welcome," he managed. "I'll show you where you can sleep tonight." At this the girl freed Gaara from her grip allowing him to move.

She followed him down the hall from his room into a small guest bedroom. She immediately pounced on the bed and snuggled under the covers, trying to get comfortable. Once she seemed settled Gaara began closing the door to her room but was stopped when he heard her speak. "You are such a good person Gaara. Wouldn't you like to join me? There's plenty of room here for the both of us," she patted the empty space beside her. "It's the least I could do after you have been so hospitable to me."

"I think it would be more appropriate for me to sleep in my own room." Gaara felt a little nervous. Never in his life had a woman been so… openly interested in him.

He saw the girl pout and within the blink of an eye she was out of her bed and standing in front of him, inches away from his face. "If you insist but before you go…" and before Gaara could react the girl had closed the distance between the two. She planted her lips lightly on his in a sweet kiss while her arms wound themselves around his neck. Gaara was shocked. His eyes widened at the girl's sudden action and he felt like he was frozen. True, she had kissed him already but this time she seemed so genuine and caring, instead of lustful.

Almost as soon as the kiss had started it ended, and the girl separated from him. Before she retreated entirely to her bed she gave him one last kiss on the cheek before giving him a small smile. "Sleep well Gaara. I'll see you in the morning." With that said she walked back to her bed, allowing Gaara to close her door. He stared at her door for a few seconds before returning to his own bed. As he walked he lifted his hand and felt the place where she had kissed his cheek. Those two small kisses had caused his stomach to turn over. He couldn't describe the feelings they had caused him to experience.

As he got into bed he realized this was going to be the first night he would be sleeping alone in a long time. He was so used to his little, white cat accompanying him every night that he felt odd without her. He furrowed his brow slightly thinking about this and tried to make himself comfortable. He remained very still, staring at his ceiling as the minutes turned into hours. It was the first night in a long time that he had difficulty falling asleep.

After what seemed like forever, he began to nod off, thinking about the girl who was currently sleeping in his house.

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><p>Gaara awoke early the next day to the sound of a soft purring. He smiled slightly and reached out to pet the source of the sound. As his hand made contact with what he thought was fur, he felt himself being drawn closer to the cause of the noise. He quickly opened his eyes. Staring back at him wasn't his cat like he had originally thought, but a girl. He started to recall the events that had occurred the day before. <em>"That's right, she is my cat." <em>

"Good morning Gaara," the girl said before kissing him on the tip on his nose, while moving her body, so she was pressed up against his own. He was still trying to wake up fully while she did this, but before he could he felt the girl's leg brush slowly against his morning "problem". He closed his eyes fighting back a moan as he felt the girl planting feather light kisses against his neck. All the attention she was giving him was causing his erection to become harder. Apparently, she realized this because while she continued her ministrations on his neck she started to move her hand down south towards the tent in Gaara's pants. He felt her grasp his member lightly, through his clothing, and began pumping him up and down in a slow rhythm.

Gaara didn't know what to do. The way she was touching him felt so good, and he didn't think he had the will power to stop her. He gasped slightly when he felt her hand making its way into his pants like she had done the day before.

"This time we won't be interrupted," she whispered in his ear before licking it.

"I-I don't t-think that we should… oh!" Gaara threw his head back on his pillow feeling that the girl had grabbed him entirely and was now squeezing him firmly, while her thumb circled around his slit. She retreated her hand from him, bringing it up to her face. He watched her lick the small amount of precum off her thumb. She smiled and licked her lips.

"You taste delicious," and before he could oppose, she disappeared under the covers. He sat up slightly in an attempt to run to the bathroom, but his plan was foiled as soon as he felt her drag her tongue up the underside of his shaft. He closed his eyes as he felt the sensation of her hot mouth engulfing his tip. She swirled her tongue around his head before taking him fully. Gaara moaned as she began to bob her head up and down sucking hard. She began to pay special attention to his head, as it kept emitting more precum, while her hand began to pump the rest of his shaft quickly. Gaara could barely contain himself. With one hard suck he came violently in her mouth. He watched as she reappeared from under the covers. She sat back on her knees and swallowed his seed before crawling over to where he was still regaining himself from her previous treatment.

"You taste so good," she said nuzzling her head into his neck.

"No one has ever done anything like that to me before," he said, still a little shaky.

"I know. You told me before."

Gaara looked down at her questioningly.

"Remember? You told me when I was still a cat. You said how you had dated a few girls but nothing ever happened with any of those relationships. Usually work would get in the way of your personal life so nothing ever progressed, or…" she paused and continued her sentence in a hushed tone, "or your insecurities about trust would get in the way."

Gaara was astonished that she remembered that. He also realized that she must know a lot about him considering he had told her pretty much everything about his life when she was a cat.

"Gaara," he looked down at her to see that she was staring at him with a very serious look on her face. "I would like your permission for us to date."

Gaara's eyes widened at this statement. "_My permission?"_ he thought. He continued to stare into the girl's eyes mulling over what she had just said.

"I know that you said you loved me as a cat, but that was only because I was the first thing that came into your life that you didn't feel threatened by. That's why you could open up to me so easily. Because of that, and because I have been a cat most of my life, I think that you'll find very few differences between me now and when I was a cat."

Was she being serious? _"I guess it's true though. When she was a cat she was constantly attached to me, not to mention she was always cuddling into me." _Gaara did not speak any of his thoughts aloud; instead, he remained silent with a very pensive look on his face.

Not being able to take the silence, the girl took his face in her hands and kissed him in a very gentle way on the lips. She pulled back still cupping his face in her hands. "If you could love me as a cat I'm sure you could love me as a human. Just give me a chance. I've never let you down in the past."

Gaara sighed at this remark. This was true. She had always been there for him. In fact, she was the first person… if you could call her that at the time, he had ever opened up to without fear. She already knew so much about him: his demented childhood, his past outlook on life, the time when he was a blood-thirsty killing machine, how he had once been the host of Shukaku. She knew it all, and even after hearing all that she had stayed by his side, and what was even more astounding was even when she had been turned back into a human she had not run from him. Instead she remained loyal, and was now sitting in front of him pleading for him to give her a chance. How could he say no?

"Okay."

He watched as her eyes lit up with joy, and then he was flat on his back being showered in enthusiastic kisses. "One thing though," he said stopping her kissing attack.

"Anything," she said in a very serious tone.

"You're going to have to control your emotions."

"What do you mean? I have complete control over the way I act."

"If that's the case," he stated while propping himself up on his elbows, "then why do you constantly throw yourself at me? Not to mention… this morning."

The girl's face scrunched up slightly in thought. "Why? Did you not like this morning? I could see why you might not; after all, it was my first time doing something like that. If you prefer I could try a different tactic on how I go about pleasuring you."

A faint blush could be seen on Gaara's face after hearing this statement. He turned his head downwards, almost as though he currently found his bedspread fascinating. "N-no, it's nothing like that... it's just that…"

"What Gaara? What is it? You can tell me."

"I've just never been in a relationship that was… sexual. It's something that is very new to me."

"Ohhh, I understand." She closed her eyes while crossing her arms over her chest, nodding her head knowingly. "Gaara needs to take things slow so he can feel confident."

Gaara's blush deepened at her bluntness.

"I will tone things down for you," she said. "This can be a learning experience for the both of us," she smiled eagerly. "Because I've been a cat most of my life I've never had the opportunity to have a real relationship with a person, but you are very special to me Gaara. I feel as though I can trust you completely. I am very affectionate, that trait is true both when I was a cat as well as a human, but I will try my hardest to not put you in any awkward situations that you don't feel comfortable with."

Gaara felt very touched by her words. He began to get up from his bed. Once standing he looked down at the girl. "Now that you're human, and my girlfriend," at that comment the girl smiled joyfully, "I think you should have a name."

"Hmmm… I will leave that to you then."

Gaara looked a little uneasy at this. "You know I'm not very good with that sort of thing. I-"

The girl stood up and put her finger to his lips, successfully silencing him. "Shhh… just pick something that feels right to you." With that said she began walking towards the guest bathroom, leaving Gaara alone to get ready for his day.

Once he was showered and dressed, Gaara decided to head out. It was still rather early, but he figured he'd have enough work waiting for him that would keep him preoccupied. Before he could leave though, he was stopped by his cattish girlfriend who was wrapped in a towel. "Gaara, I don't have any clothes."

Gaara averted his eyes, realizing that the small towel she was wearing was not a significant article of clothing that could cover her mature female body.

"You'll find some money in the top drawer of my dresser. Take as much as you need. I'll send Temari over to take you out so you don't get lost."

"Thank you!" she exclaimed before embracing him in a hug.

Gaara was beginning to get used to her hugs, but the fact that she was wearing practically nothing made him feel a bit uneasy and caused his stomach to do backflips, but he tried to ignore the feeling and slowly wrapped his arms around her waist, returning her hug. This action made her happy beyond words, and it took all of her will power not to jump him, turning the hug into something more. Instead, she picked her head up and kissed him lightly on the cheek.

"Have a wonderful day Gaara," she said before releasing him. Gaara merely nodded before leaving.

After he was gone, the girl ran into his room and found the money Gaara had previously mentioned. She stared at it slightly bewildered. It had been such a long time since she had to deal with simple things such as money. Even yesterday when Gaara had given her something to sleep in she had some difficulties putting the clothes on. She figured it would take her some time before she was fully used to normal human activities.

She decided to ignore the money for the time being figuring that Temari could help her with that and set to work dressing herself. She pulled a few articles of clothing from Gaara's dresser and dressed. Once she was fully clothed she made her way into the kitchen. She walked over to the refrigerator and opened it. Staring at its contents, she reached for several things before walking over to the table. She could read very little so deciphering the labels on the food was proving to be difficult for her.

"_Why do humans have to have so many different kinds of food?" _she thought. _"Not only that but how do I even eat this stuff?" _Realizing that just staring at the food wasn't going to help her situation, the girl picked up the carton of milk and sniffed it. She put the container to her lips and tasted the beverage. Tears came to her eyes upon tasting the sweet liquid and quickly chugged the rest of the containers contents. _"The nice thing about being human again is I get to drink all the milk I want at any time I want. Who knew opposable thumbs were so useful?"_ She set to work on the rest of the food she had pulled, smelling each container before eating it.

While she was eating, she heard a knock on the door. _"That must be Temari."_ She ran to the front door and threw it open, revealing a very shocked looking Temari. "I guess Gaara wasn't making things up. I gotta say, if I wasn't seeing this for myself I would've thought Gaara had gone mad."

"It's so nice to meet you in person Temari!" the girl said while throwing her arms around Temari in a big hug.

"It's nice to meet you too," Temari managed to gasp out.

"I can't wait to see the rest of Suna! Before we leave you need to help me with figuring out how much money I'll need to take. Come on!" With that said, she grabbed Temari's arm and began pulling her down the hallway towards Gaara's bedroom.

Once at his dresser, she pulled out a small wad of money before handing it to Temari. "I'm not exactly sure how to count this or how much I'll need," she said scratching the back of her head.

"Don't worry I'll take care of it," she said before walking out of Gaara's room, money in hand.

The girl followed behind her brightly before they left the house.

They walked down the streets of Suna side by side. Temari felt a little awkward. She didn't know this girl at all, plus she was still trying to grasp that she used to be Gaara's cat. _"I guess some of her features do resemble her other ones when she was a cat. Her hair is really light, and her eyes are basically the same." _Her eyes began to wander upwards to the girl's head. _"Not to mention she has cat ears."_

The girl realized Temari was staring at her and decided to ease the tension between the two. "Sooo… where exactly are we going?"

Temari unglued her eyes from the girl before saying, "I guess the main street in Suna would be the best place to start."

"It doesn't matter to me. I'm kind of clueless when it comes to this stuff. Honestly, I ran around naked for most of my life." The girl broke out into a slight laugh. Temari couldn't help but admit this girl was definitely unique. It seemed like she wasn't embarrassed about anything. She talked about everything so openly.

"Look!" Temari followed the girl's pointing finger. She was pointing at a small shop that sold woman's clothing. The girl seemed to be pointing at an outfit that was on display in the window. Upon closer observation, Temari noticed the outfit was very similar to one she had worn when she was younger. "Come on, you can go try it on and see how you like it."

After several minutes of waiting for the cat girl, she finally came out of a dressing room in the outfit she had been eyeing up. Temari had to admit, it looked good on her. The lilac dress came down to her mid-thigh and flared out slightly at the bottom. The sleeves were mid-length and draped out at the hem. Around her waist was a thick, dark crimson ribbon.

"What do you think?" she asked, standing very still with her arms spread wide so Temari could get a full look at her ensemble.

"It flatters you nicely," Temari said with a small smile. "But, we need to get you something for your feet."

The girl looked down and wiggled her bare feet. "I guess you're right. What do you suggest?" Temari had already picked out a pair of dark brown sandals and handed them to the girl, who put them on instantly.

"Much better," and with that said Temari paid for the clothes and the two girls walked out of the store. "I think you'll be much more comfortable now that you actually have girl's clothing."

"Yea, it's much airier; although, I think it'll take me some time to get used to bras. They're so restricting."

"_How can she talk about that kind of thing so openly and with someone she hardly knows?" _As that thought crossed Temari's mind she almost smacked herself for realizing something she had almost forgotten.

"I just realized, I don't know your name."

The girl looked at Temari and smiled. "The thing is, I don't really have a name or if I did I don't remember what it was. I asked Gaara to pick out a name for me."

"Well, I guess we'll see what he came up with." Temari had stopped next to a door. Sure enough, it was the entrance door to the Kazekage building. "I hate to just kind of run off, but I have to start my next mission."

"Are you going to Konoha?" the girl asked.

Temari was a little puzzled that the girl had asked this. "Yes. How did you know?"

"You've been going on a lot of missions to Konoha lately, so I just kind of figured that might be where you were headed."

"How do you know about my missi-"

"Everyone seems to be forgetting I was always with Gaara everywhere he went, well except for his meetings with the elders. I just wasn't a person when I was with him."

Temari laughed at her remark. "I guess you're right. Then you should know where Gaara's office is. You should probably ask him where he wants you to go until he's done with work."

"No problem! Good luck on your mission Temari!" The girl gave Temari a friendly hug before she left to start her mission.

Once Temari had gone the girl entered the building and began climbing the stairs to Gaara's office. She reached the top and walked towards Gaara's door until she was outside. Pressing one of her cat ears up against the door, she tried to listen for any sounds that were coming from the other side. She couldn't hear anything, but she was startled out of her position when she felt the door open and something pulling her inside by the waist. She heard the door shut behind her and realized that she was being pulled by sand. Gaara's sand.

Gaara made his sand set her down gently before having it retreat back into his gourd by his desk. "I see you found something that fits you," he said passively.

The girl nodded. "How did you know I was at the door?"

"I'm the Kazekage," he stated.

The girl smacked her forehead. "Duh, I guess all ninjas know how to detect a person's presence." She began walking towards Gaara before sitting down in his lap and nuzzling her head against his. "I missed you." She kissed him lightly on the cheek.

Gaara remained very stiff. She was showing him affection again. How was he supposed to react to her sitting in his lap?

"Would you like to get something to eat Gaara?"

He looked at her, and then looked at the time. Sure enough it was well past lunch and we was feeling a bit famished. He nodded and she jumped up happily. Once he was standing, she grabbed his hand and lightly pulled him out the door.

She began to ease her grip on his hand and finally let go of it once they were outside. Gaara was thankful for this; he didn't want people questioning his relationship with her (even if they were technically together) when he still didn't know how he felt about the situation.

"What would you like to eat? I saw so many different places when Temari and I were out earlier. There was this one place that smelled delicious! It was a small booth and it smelled like they were serving some kind of broth."

Gaara didn't exactly know what the girl was talking about. Regardless, he nodded and saw that she was smiling at him. _"It doesn't take much to make her happy," _he thought.

They walked side by side towards the place the girl had described to him. It wasn't far and he soon realized she had been talking about a ramen booth.

They both sat down. The man behind the counter was an older gentleman who bowed in respect to Gaara. He then smiled at the girl before asking them what they wanted to eat. Gaara didn't particularly care and asked the man for anything that had pork in it. The girl couldn't read the menu so she asked for anything that had fish in it. The two received their meals and ate silently.

Once they were finished, Gaara paid for their meals (even though the man declined) and they began walking back to Gaara's office.

As they arrived at Gaara's office, Gaara noticed something he hadn't seen before. "You have a tail?" he asked.

"What?!"


	4. Chapter 4: Yuki

Hello everyone! After so many years of not posting for this story here's the new chapter! I hope you enjoy it, and thank you to everyone who has been messaging and favoriting this story! I'm glad to know that people are actually reading all this so it encourages me to update often! Please enjoy Chapter four!

I do not own Naruto or any of the characters. I only own my OC.

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><p><strong>Chapter Four<strong>

"_This can't be happening,"_ the girl thought, lying on her bed. _"I knew this was part of the curse, but I never expected for it to take effect so quickly."_

After Gaara had noticed the girl's tail, she began sprinting at top speed towards Gaara's home in order to clear her mind, leaving a very confused Gaara.

"_Maybe things will progress faster than I had originally thought with Gaara."_ She paused and sighed. _"Who am I kidding, I don't want to push him into doing anything he's not ready for, plus I don't even know how long it'll be before everything goes downhill with this curse… permanently. I just need to keep a clear head and show Gaara how much he really means to me." _She closed her eyes and nodded at this thought.

"I just need to stay positive," she whispered to herself. "But first…!" and with that said she dashed off to the bathroom to calm her nerves with a nice hot bath.

She lulled her head back against one of the sides of the tub. Thoughts of Gaara clouded her mind as she soaked her body in the warm water. She thought back to how she had first laid eyes on him.

While padding through the streets of Suna on her nimble paws during one late evening, searching for food, she had caught a glimpse of the young Kazekage. Up until this point, Suna was just another village in the cat eyes of this girl. She had traveled her whole life, searching for someone who she felt might be able to lift the curse. She had stayed with countless families but none of them had ever really felt right. She deliberately picked families that had young sons, hoping that one of them might be "the one" but sadly with each new family she stayed with, she only ever felt more hopeless.

She had failed to mention to Gaara during the time of her transformation that not only did the man she found had to love her as a cat, but she had to return his feelings with equal and genuine intensity. Gaara was that person. He had looked so sad yet intuitive when she had first seen him. His blood red locks shone in the dim moonlight, while his pale skin reminded her of the most luscious cream known to human or beast. Her initial attraction to him caused her to follow him to his home, using her skillful gracefulness to be as silent as the ninja she was stalking.

Once he had entered his house she climbed up onto his rooftop and jumped down on to his balcony, sliding in-between the small crack leading into his house. She remained hidden in the shadows of his room before he had finally settled down to sleep. Once she felt sure he was passed out, she had jumped up onto the dresser near his bed. She leaned her head in slightly staring at his angelic features. His dark rimmed eyes were closed, standing out brilliantly against the paleness of his skin. With closer inspection she noticed the sign for 'love' located on his upper left forehead. Once again her natural curiosity got the better of her and she pushed off against the dresser, hoping to land expertly next to his head; unfortunately, she had tripped over her own paws causing her to stumble off balance and land straight on the sleeping man she had been so fascinated with.

From that point on she stayed with him everywhere he went. At first it was almost like a challenge. He had shunned her and tried to push her away, but she refused to be defeated so easily. Soon he had given in (thanks to Temari) and the rest was history.

He told her everything. One memory in particular had seemed especially difficult for him: the night he was betrayed by his uncle, Yashamaru. This is how she had learned about the scar kanji on his forehead. Even as a cat, it was difficult for her to play such a role while listening to his sad past. More than once she had felt tears threatening to fall from her eyes, but somehow she had always managed to hold back.

The girl sighed as she continued to think about the man who had easily won her heart. His eyes, his hair, even the way his nose twitched slightly in his sleep, all could send her into fits of happiness. She truly loved him. Even though he had once been blood thirsty and killed in the mere thought of becoming stronger, she didn't care. In fact, she didn't even consider that to be his fault, reasoning that Shukaku had played a direct role as well as Yashamaru's betrayal. She did want to meet this Naruto Gaara seemed so fond of though. This ninja had somehow managed to break Gaara of his irrational thoughts about life and because of that Gaara had become the most well respected ninja in Suna. She couldn't help but be grateful that Naruto had such an effect on Gaara.

"Now if only I could do something like that," she said, dipping her head underwater only to bring it up when she heard the front door open and then close. A plethora of emotions began to overwhelm her and her initial instinct was to jump out of the bathtub and run to her beloved Gaara in order to smother him with love and affection, but she restrained herself. _"Gaara might feel uncomfortable if I were to do something like that. Damnit, why is it so hard to restrain myself whenever I'm around him? Oh yea, because one: he's gorgeous, two: his face just screams 'I'm adorable, please love me!' and three: I want to shower him with all my love I feel for him!" _As this final thought crossed her mind, she heard a soft knock at the bathroom door, followed by the velvety smooth voice that belonged to Gaara.

"Um- are you okay?" At these words the girl's cat ears perked up high on her head. "It's just that, you seemed so upset earlier. I hope it wasn't because I mentioned your tail. I didn't mean to offend you… I just had never seen it before and…" but before he could finish, the bathroom door flew open and standing in front of him was the cat girl, wide eyed, frantic, and completely naked.

"No! You did nothing wrong Gaara!" She began to inch closer towards Gaara's body, causing him to back up. "I was just so surprised at the thought of having a tail and ran off without thinking about how you might feel! I never meant for you to think you upset me. I wasn't angry or anything! I'm sorry, please forgive me for my rash behavior!"

Gaara couldn't believe this girl. She was apologizing to him? If he wasn't so embarrassed from the fact that she was mere centimeters away from him and completely nude he would have gaped at her in confusion and astonishment. He managed to slip out an, "it's okay," relieved to see that those words seemed to have calmed her down. Once the hysteria had died down the girl realized the situation she was in. She ran off to the bathroom, allowing Gaara to compose himself, before reappearing in clothes.

She had a light blush on her face, that Gaara couldn't help but admit was very cute, and she once again apologized for her rash behavior. Gaara nodded at her, assuring her that it was okay. He knew she had meant no harm and was still getting used to taming her emotions. She still seemed ashamed though, so he began to ponder how to take care of this situation. _"Should I say something? How can I make her believe me? How can I ease her tension?" _Trying to solve this problem in the only way he knew how, he reached out and petted her cat ears. This is how he would normally take care of things back when she was a cat, maybe it would work now. Apparently, he had done the right thing because the girl was soon nudging her head against his hand, purring happily.

Gaara let slip a small smile as he watched the girl nuzzle into his hand, inwardly congratulating himself that he had done the right thing. He soon stopped his pettings, letting his hand fall to his side. This earned him a disappointed sigh. Soon he found himself staring into cloudy blue eyes. They seemed to captivate him momentarily right before he felt arms around his waist. "Tha-mmn."

"What?" Gaara questioned.

The girl lifted her head from his chest and repeated more clearly, "Thank you."

"_Thank you? But I didn't do anything." _Regardless of his thoughts, he wrapped his arms around the girl and said, "You're welcome."

The two stayed holding each other for a while before a thought crossed Gaara's mind. He released his grip on the girl, stepping back to look at her. "I was thinking about what to call you."

The girl's cat ears stood up in excitement. "Did you come up with something?"

Gaara nodded slightly.

"What is it?!"

Gaara closed his eyes and took in a deep breath before saying, "Yuki." The next thing he knew, he was lying on his back with the girl on top of him hugging him.

"Yuki! Yuki! That's a great name Gaara! I have a name! I have a beautiful name that Gaara picked for me!"

Once again Gaara was surprised at how emotionally enthusiastic this girl could get over something he said or did. Nonetheless, it felt nice to be able to make someone happy, even if it was something as simple as deciding on a name.

Gaara smiled at the girl who was snuggling into him and hugged her back, causing him to bury his face in her soft hair. She smelled fresh and clean and Gaara couldn't help but get lost in her scent. He unknowingly began petting her hair, earning him soft purrs from the girl on top of him. After a while of staying like that Gaara came to and decided to stop his actions before pushing Yuki to become too rambunctious.

"Hey Yuki? Do you think you could sit up?"

Yuki looked up at Gaara and nodded slightly before standing up, allowing Gaara to follow suit. She stared at him with big, unblinking eyes, making him feel a bit uneasy at the awkward silence between them. Luckily, Yuki was quick to break the silence.

"You aren't put off by my tail are you? I know it's a bit odd for a human to have one."

Gaara blinked, thinking about Yuki's question. "No, not at all. I think it actually makes me feel a little more comfortable around you."

"Why's that?" Yuki questioned.

"Well…" Gaara started but soon decided to think his answer over. He didn't want to upset Yuki with anything he said; although, considering he was the one saying it that might not be a problem with her. After all, the girl was infatuated with him.

"Well, since you have ears and a tail that resemble a cat's features, it helps me adapt a bit more to you. I mean… I've only ever been really comfortable sharing my feelings and emotions with you as an animal, so I guess those features help me get used to talking to you, even though you aren't a cat anymore."

Now Gaara is a man of few words and always had been, but for whatever reason he just couldn't find the right words to tell Yuki what was going through his mind. He felt like it was all coming out in rambles. To his surprise though, Yuki was smiling at him knowingly.

"I understand. I'm not offended or anything, but if you don't mind I'd like to keep the reason my tail suddenly appeared a secret, for now."

Gaara nodded at this. _"Maybe it's just really embarrassing for her, and she isn't ready to talk about it yet?"_ he thought.

"Thank you Gaara," Yuki said before quickly grabbing his hand. "Now, I don't know about you but I'm starving! I can't read too well and I don't know how to cook but I figured those are two things I'll have to learn if I'm going to be a human again."

Yuki led Gaara into his kitchen, and the sight before him made him question whether a tornado had crashed through it. Containers of all kinds were opened and scattered on the table and counters. Liquids of all colors were spilled, dropped, and leaked all over the floors.

"What happened here?" Gaara questioned.

Yuki laughed nervously. "Well like I said, I don't read too well, and I don't know how to cook so I kind of had to do my best with the food in the refrigerator. I guess I kind of made a mess, huh?"

Gaara stared at the girl in astonishment. She had made this mess? One girl had done all this within the few hours he was gone? _"Well I guess what's done is done,"_ Gaara thought.

He grabbed Yuki's hand and began leading her out the front door.

"Gaara? Where are we going?" Yuki looked confused and stared up at Gaara owlishly, feeling a bit ashamed that her animalistic instincts had caused her to make such a mess.

"We're going out to eat. I'll worry about the kitchen later." And with that said, he let go of Yuki's hand, allowing her to follow in-step behind him, as they made their way to the closest restaurant.

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><p>The next morning Gaara couldn't say he was surprised to see Yuki sleeping next to him when he woke-up. He had given her a room to herself, but old habits die hard he supposed. As long as she was asleep and not trying to engage him in sexual activities so early in the morning, he imagined it wouldn't be a problem. After all, he had grown accustomed to having a sleeping buddy in his bed, and soon realized it was hard for him to fall asleep without the extra weight in his bed.<p>

Very carefully, so he wouldn't arouse the sleeping cat girl, Gaara made his way to the bathroom to ready himself for the day. After his shower he made his way back to his room to grab his clothes, only to find Yuki had woken-up.

He watched as the girl yawned and rubbed the sleep from her eyes, instantly locking eyes with the young Kazekage who donned only a towel around his waist and was still dripping from his shower.

He watched as Yuki crawled towards the edge of his bed and began reaching out towards him, before recognizing her actions and quickly sat on her haunches to peer at him through lustful, half-lidded eyes.

Gaara gulped and hurriedly headed towards his dresser while murmuring a quiet, "Good morning Yuki," before the girl could no longer refrain herself from pouncing on him.

Yuki watchfully followed Gaara as he made his way back to the bathroom, clothes in hands. Once the door had shut she let out a small sigh of annoyance. _"I understand Gaara is timid about affection, but he doesn't have to tease me so much! How does he expect me to keep my composure while he walks around wet and almost naked!?" _Yuki thought. She shook her head to rid the image of her lover from her head. Before he could tease her any further, she deftly made her way to her room where her clothes awaited her. She dressed and desperately tried to make her way to Gaara before he left for the day.

He wasn't in his room, the bathroom, or the kitchen. "Gaara? Gaara!?" she yelled loudly, nervous that he had left without saying goodbye.

"Yuki? Calm down. I'm at the front door."

Yuki quickly raced to the spot her beloved's voice was coming from, to find that Gaara was putting on his sandals.

"I thought you had already left," she whined cutely.

Gaara straightened himself up and gazed at her. "Isn't it traditional for people who live together to bid each other farewell for the day before taking off?" he questioned. He was still getting accustomed to living with someone else, let alone a girl.

Yuki enthusiastically nodded her head in joy. _"He was waiting for me!"_ she thought, before embracing him in a hug, burying her head in the crook of his neck. "Have a wonderful day Gaara."

Gaara returned her hug, trying his hardest not to be awkward.

Once the two separated Yuki questioned, "Would it be alright if I visited you at lunchtime? I'm still not really used to entertaining myself. I mean, the last few months I just followed you everywhere."

"I don't see why that would be an issue. Maybe we could go to the market and pick up a few groceries for tonight."

Yuki beamed upwards at him. "It's a date then! I'll see you later!" and with that said Yuki pranced towards the kitchen, leaving a very confused Gaara.

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><p>Gaara walked towards the Kazekage building with many thoughts running through his head. <em>"Did she date? How is getting groceries a date? Aren't dates supposed to be a special time between couples?"<em>

Relationships were so complicated and Gaara was far from being an expert on them. He came to the conclusion that he should seek some help from his siblings and since Temari was in Konoha… Kankuro would have to be his go to man. Luckily, as soon as Gaara arrived to his office Kankuro was already waiting there to speak with him.

"Hey Gaara! I have some documents for you to sign and a couple of S-ranked missions you need to check off on. There's also some dispute abo-… are you alright?"

How on earth Kankuro could tell Gaara was waging a war inside his head, he'd never know. Maybe it was sibling's intuition or something like that?

"Do you have a minute?" Gaara asked.

"I've got all the time in the world for you bro." With that said Kankuro followed Gaara into his office, shutting the door behind him.

Once the two brothers were safely in Gaara's office, Gaara turned to tell his brother what had been clouding his mind all morning. "Before I left this morning, Yuki said she was excited that we were going on a date at lunch, but all I said was we should pick-up some groceries at the market. How is that considered a date?"

Kankuro stared at his brother who seemed very concerned about this issue and chuckled softly. "I think she's just excited to spend time with you Gaara. She seems to really care for you. Girls have a way of taking little situations and making them into bigger deals than they actually are, so 'going on a date' may be as simple as going to the market or as elaborate as dinner, wine and all that jazz. Yuki acts like the type who gets pretty enthusiastic over the smallest of situations, so I'd just let her call it what she wants and go with it."

Gaara nodded . "I guess that makes sense. So I should just treat her like normal and not overthink this situation."

Kankuro patted his brother on the back. "Honestly, I don't know this girl to well, but when it comes to you I think she'll be thrilled with whatever it is you decide to do."

With that confirmation from his elder brother, Gaara felt his tension lift and set to his work for the day. Knowing a little more about how women thought he had to say, he was rather looking forward to the afternoon with Yuki.

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><p>Yuki tried to distract herself until it was time to meet Gaara. She took a trip around Suna, trying to familiarize herself with the village although everywhere she went she felt like she was getting odd looks, and her superior cat ears couldn't help but pick-up murmurs of "Have you ever seen her before?" and "Those ears and that tail! They're ridiculous!" It was enough to make her feel a bit self-conscious.<p>

It seemed like forever for the morning to roll by but once the afternoon came Yuki took off at top speed towards the Kazekage building, anxious to see Gaara.

It took her no time at all to arrive at the building. She eagerly ran up the steps to Gaara's office and enthusiastically knocked on his door, making sure not to just barge in.

Once she heard Gaara's quiet voice reply "Enter," she swung open the door to reveal Gaara, sitting behind his desk, looking through some papers.

"Gaara!" Yuki exclaimed. She was so excited to see him that she began running towards him only to be stopped by Gaara's sand. This truly annoyed her but then again, she needed to remember to better control her emotions when around the young Kazekage.

Gaara's sand soon slithered away from her, allowing Yuki to calmly walk to where Gaara was seated.

"How was your morning Gaara? Are you ready to go?" Yuki asked, waiting for him to stand-up so she could embrace him.

"I'll be done in a second. Could you just wait on the couch over there until I'm done?"

Yuki puffed her cheeks out in annoyance but did as she was told, taking a seat on the couch. It didn't take long for her to grow agitated which showed in her actions as she frequently switched positions: first sitting up, then laying on her back, until she was finally draped upside-down staring at Gaara from an odd angle; until Gaara finally announced that he was ready.

Yuki swung herself around, and bolted upright, quickly making her way towards Gaara's side. She wrapped her arms around Gaara's neck and snuggled into his chest, inhaling his intoxicating scent. "I missed you so much," she exclaimed.

Gaara returned her embraced, becoming more used to Yuki's open affection for him.

Once the two separated, Yuki followed Gaara out of his office and the two walked beside each other to the local market.

"Did you have a busy morning?" Yuki asked.

Gaara nodded. "Nothing out of the ordinary, just tedious. I hope you were able to entertain yourself."

"Yea… I walked around the village for a bit but…" Yuki couldn't find the right words to finish her sentence. She didn't want to worry Gaara over nothing, even though she felt a bit uncomfortable with the way people had been treating her that day.

Gaara raised a non-existing eyebrow, curious as to why Yuki suddenly stopped talking. "Is everything okay?"

"Yes, yes, perfectly fine," Yuki stammered out, trying to laugh off her hesitancy.

They finally arrived to the market, and almost immediately Yuki ran to the fish monger. "Wow! Look at all the fish Gaara!" Her outburst and use of Gaara's first name caused some nearby villagers to stop and watch the scene unfold before them.

Gaara walked up next to the girl. He looked at Yuki eyeing a particularly large blue-finned tuna. He told the merchant he'd take it and paid the man for the fish.

Yuki's eyes lit up as the man behind the stand handed over Gaara's purchase. "Thank you Gaara! It looks so delicious!"

Gaara smiled ever so slightly at Yuki's childish enthusiasm, but soon his features went back to their usual stoic state.

The rest of Gaara's lunch time was spent purchasing vegetables, fruits, meats, poultry, and rice. It wasn't until they were about to leave the market area that Yuki exclaimed, "We forgot milk!"

Gaara wasn't too fond of the beverage but after watching Yuki pick out her food preferences, he assumed she still had a taste for cat-related foods. Luckily, Yuki quickly found a dairy stand and grabbed six large bottles of milk. Gaara paid the man and the two left for Gaara's home.

Once they arrived, Gaara apologized for not being able to help her unload their purchases and asked if Yuki could manage by herself.

Yuki nodded enthusiastically. "Leave it to me Gaara! I'll handle this task no problem!"

Gaara patted the girl on her head and thanked her for her help today. He had to admit, having her around made things a little more interesting and a little more fun. He left Yuki to handle things at home while he made his way back to his office, feeling content that there'd be someone waiting for him when he'd get back tonight.


	5. Chapter 5: Eventful Realizations

Hello again everyone! Chapter five is up and ready for some view! I had some difficulties writing this chapter but I wanted to get it posted so my readers wouldn't have to wait any longer. I hope you all enjoy it and please please please send me some reviews. Reviews keep my moral high so that I can pound more chapters for your reading pleasure!

I do not own Naruto or any of the characters, I only own Yuki, my O.C.

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><p>Chapter Five<p>

A few weeks had gone by and soon summer turned into autumn; although, living in Suna the weather hardly changed to indicate it.

Yuki was standing in the kitchen with the windows open so she could enjoy the Suna breeze that very seldom occurred in the desert.

"Okay, so dip your hands in the salted water… oh! That's pretty chilly. Okay, that's done. Now take a handful of rice and mold it into any desired shape. Be sure to use fresh, warm rice in order to create the desired shape of your riceball. Ouch!"

Yuki dropped the small clump of rice she had been holding in her hand on the counter. "No wonder the water needs to be cold, that rice is really hot, but the recipe says it needs to be warm, so it's easier to shape. Maybe if I just soak my hands a little longer in the water."

Yuki picked up a fresh pile of rice. "That did the trick! Now what to make? Oh! I know!" She began forming the rice in her hands, careful not to crack her creations. Once she was done she placed each riceball into a bento she had ready.

"Gaara will be so surprised! I hope he enjoys these. I'm sure he'll love the little kitty shapes I made them into… er, I mean they look like cats to me anyway."

Yuki and Gaara had grown into a regular routine, where Yuki would visit him at lunch and after he had finished his duties for the day. She always stood around outside, eagerly waiting for the young Kazekage to finish his work. Sometimes it would take only a few minutes for him to emerge and sometimes it would take hours, but Yuki really didn't mind. She enjoyed Gaara's company and even though he would often say it was unnecessary for her to walk him home each day, she just shrugged it off and did as she pleased anyway; after all, it made her happy.

Today was particularly exciting for Yuki because it was her first attempt to make something tasty for Gaara to eat on their walk home. She often noticed they would stop before making it to the Gaara's house so Gaara could grab a snack, either that, or he'd immediately make his way to the kitchen when they arrived home.

As Yuki made her way towards the Kazekage building, she hummed some random tunes to herself. She couldn't help the big smile plastered on her face as she skipped happily down the dusty streets. Earlier than usual, she took her usual seat on the side of the building, letting her legs dangle a few feet above the ground.

Over an hour had passed by, and Yuki was beginning to get impatient. "What's taking him so long? Yesterday he was late too!" she thought in annoyance.

At that moment she felt something hard hit against her head. She reached up to touch the spot that was now throbbing with pain and looked towards the ground. On it, just below her feet, was a small pebble. She jumped down from the building's side, bento in hand, and picked up the small rock. Gazing to the sky, she wondered where it had come from, before she heard random snickers coming from close by.

"Wow, I guess she thinks the sky rains down boulders. She really is as stupid as she looks."

Yuki blushed in embarrassment and looked in the direction she heard the feminine voice.

"Hey! Pussy cat girl! Come over here, we wanna talk to you." The voice had come from a small group of kids. Some looked to be about Yuki's age, and some seemed younger. One thing was for certain, the group was all made up of girls.

Yuki gulped and shyly made her way over to the group. Once she arrived she immediately yelped out in pain and dropped her bento, as one of the larger girls had taken hold of one of her cat ears and was tugging harshly on it.

"Hey Ahri, I guess you win! They really are attached to her head. She really is part cat!"

Yuki glanced up at the girl who had hold on her ear; she was much taller than herself, with light brown hair, and a Suna ninja headband around her forehead. She was currently directing her attention to another girl, who was much shorter and stouter, also wearing an identical headband. Her flaming red hair was tied back in a tight ponytail, and she had a big smile plastered across her freckled face. The redhead was quick to reply to the girl tugging on Yuki's ear. "What a freak! I wonder why our beloved Kazekage gives a monster like her so much attention."

Yuki tried to fight back the tears that were beginning to form in her eyes. "Did they call me a monster?"

"Now you did it Ahri, it looks like wittle baby puddy cat is gonna cry now." The girl holding her ear let go, but not before pushing her over, causing Yuki to drop the bento she had made for Gaara.

The girl, who was presumably Ahri, picked up the dropped bento, and opened the lid. "Now look what we have here." She took out one of the cat faced riceballs, and took a bite. Immediately, the girl spat the rice out of her mouth and made a disgusted face. "What are you trying to do? Poison someone? These are disgusting!" The girl threw the rest of the riceballs on the ground and began stomping on them, while all her friends laughed.

"No!" Yuki shouted, trying her best to stop the girl. "I worked hard on those for Gaara!"

At the mention of Gaara's name, the girls all stopped to stare at the shaken-up cat girl on the ground.

"You dare address our Kazekage in such a casual way? You really are despicable!" another brunette from the group shouted.

"Not only is she disrespectful to our leader but she has it out for him too! If any of you had tried those riceballs you'd know how putrid they were. She must be trying to kill him through food poisoning! I knew someone like her couldn't be trusted." Ahri began to advance on Yuki who was desperately trying to scramble away from the group of young adults.

Another girl, who was sporting a bob-styled black hair-do, beat the redhead to the poor cat girl and grasped Yuki by her hair, pulling her up onto her feet.

"Please let me go! I didn't do anything wrong!" Yuki pleaded, but this just made the girls laugh even more at her suffering.

The girl holding her said, "Oh we'll let you go, after we teach you a lesson in manners, and the proper way to address your superiors! If you're lucky enough we'll spare your pathetic life because we're such nice people, although considering what you were trying to feed Kazekage-sama, I'm not sure if we should be that nice to you." With this said she flung Yuki by her hair into the dirty-blonde of the group, who caught her easily.

"Look! She even has a tail! Man, Kazekage-sama must need glasses or something, hanging out with this monster." She pulled Yuki's tail, which made the tears Yuki had effectively been holding back, spill over.

"Please let me go!" Yuki begged over and over. "I didn't do anything wrong, I'm not a monster! I'm a person just like you!"

All the girls scoffed at this remark. "You're hardly like us in anyway. You're scum, you're lower than scum, you're… you're-"

"She's what?" Yuki knew that voice. Before she could look to see where it was coming from, sand had formed around her, pushing the group of girls surrounding her backwards.

The blonde, who still had a tight grip on Yuki's tail, was wide-eyed and speechless as she stared at her comrades who had effectively flown several feet away from their previous positions.

"I suggest you let go of her tail, unless you'd like to join your friends.

Yuki looked around frantically, before making eye-contact with Gaara. "Gaara!" she yelled happily.

The blonde quickly dropped her grip on Yuki, allowing her to run over to Gaara. Cowering in fear behind him, Yuki grasped onto the back of Gaara's jacket tightly, afraid the girls might try to hurt her with harsh words again.

"Are you okay?" Gaara asked. He had a look of concern on his face as Yuki huddled behind him. Yuki nodded in response to his question.

"What were you all thinking? She's obviously not a ninja like you. Do you take pride in torturing those weaker than you?" Gaara questioned, as the cluster of girls all regrouped in front of him.

One of the girls, the one who had first taken hold of Yuki's ear, was patting some dirt from her pants. She soon straightened up and said, "Kazekage-sama, I know what this may look like but this girl is a menace! She's disrespectful and has absolutely no courtesy for her superiors. She refers to you by your first name and she's a diligent!"

The girl with dark black hair chimed in, "We were simply teaching her the proper gestures of Suna. A monster like her doesn't understand normal habits people like us have. I mean look at her! She prances around Suna with a smug look on her face looking like that! Only a monster would be so bold as to show herself in daylight with that kind of appearance!"

At this response Gaara clenched and unclenched his hands in anger. Yuki looked up at him and paled when she saw the look he had in his eyes. It wasn't the normal glint she was accustomed too, instead they held sorrow, pain, and hatred.

Gaara spoke, but Yuki couldn't help but shudder at the dark tone he used behind his words. "I suggest you all leave now and never bother this girl again if you wish to continue your current ninja status, and maintain your health."

"But Kazekage-sa-"

"One more word and I'll treat you all as harshly as you treated this girl and strip you all of your ninja titles!"

Yuki had never heard Gaara's voice boom so loudly or so harshly before. He was often very good at maintaining his calm composure, but for some reason that was all unraveling right before her very eyes.

The group of ninjas all paled at this remark and quickly ran from their leader.

Gaara took a few deep breaths before kneeling down in front of Yuki, who was still clutching tightly onto his jacket. He touched the top of her head but immediately retreated when he saw how Yuki flinched.

"Yuki? Did they hurt you? How long has this bullying been going on?" Gaara's voice was gentle and sincere as he asked the cat girl these questions. He was back to his normal self.

"Oh Gaara, I didn't want you to worry about me. You're so busy and I never thought anyone would actually try to hurt me physically. I-I just wanted to do something nice for you. And, and those girls-" Yuki was talking in rambles and tears kept leaking from her eyes. Gaara was having a hard time following what she was saying. He also was having a hard time determining the emotions that were welling up in his chest as he watched the broken down Yuki before him.

Quickly, he grabbed the sobbing girl and buried her against his chest. He petted her hair as gently as he could, trying to calm her down. He didn't know what to say to her, so he relied solely on what he knew calmed her nerves from past situations.

Yuki's sobs were muffled by Gaara's jacket, as she clenched onto him tightly.

Once she began to quiet down she let go of her death grip on Gaara's shirt. Trying to wipe the tears from her face, she took a few deep breaths attempting to gain her composure.

She looked away from Gaara's stare as she spoke. "I made you some riceballs because I thought you might be hungry after work, but they said they were inedible and that they would make you sick if you ate them. I'm sorry Gaara, I'll try harder next time."

Gaara couldn't believe what he was hearing. After the torment she had just been through all she could think of was him. Was this girl truly that infatuated with him or was she simply stupid?

Gaara stood up from the girl and made his way over to the discarded bento. He looked at the stomped rice and picked up a small clump that looked to be the least destroyed. He popped it in his mouth and chewed slowly, before picking up the empty bento and returning to Yuki's side.

Yuki's eyes were wide in amazement, as Gaara spoke with a small smile on his face, "Thank you Yuki. It was delicious; I wish I could have enjoyed more of them."

Yuki's eyes began to well up again as she jumped on Gaara, embracing him in a loving hug. "Oh Gaara! I love you so much!"

Gaara returned her embrace, burying his head in her hair, enjoying the scent that belonged to only Yuki. "Maybe these emotions I'm having are because, I love her too? Is this what love really feels like?" Gaara couldn't help but repeat these questions over and over in his mind before he realized they were still just outside his work building, out in the open.

Gaara begrudgingly let go of Yuki in order to stand, holding his hand out to help the girl to her feet as well. Once they were both standing once more, Gaara leaned over and kissed the cat girl on her forehead, effectively causing her to blush, before grabbing her hand in his own, leading her back to their house.

"Let's go home Yuki. You've been through enough for one day."

Yuki nodded her head in agreement and walked in step with her beloved and her hero.

* * *

><p>The next day, Gaara had asked Yuki to rest and to remain in the house. She had received some minor injuries from the group of ninjas the other day and he was being overly cautious. Luckily, Yuki did not put up a fuss and agreed to remain in the house for the day.<p>

Throughout the day, Gaara's mind was clouded with images of yesterday's incident. When he heard Yuki being called a monster, flashes of his childhood played before his eyes causing him to see red from the anger that flooded through him. He knew all too well how much it hurt to be rejected by society, but to be called hurtful names on top of that, especially to Yuki made him doubt his newly found faith in humanity.

He knew Yuki was a lot to take in on first glance. She didn't look as normal as everyone else in the village, but she was pure and had a heart of gold. She would never hurt anyone and was always thinking about others before herself. He didn't understand how someone like that could be judged so harshly based on looks alone.

Once they had gotten home the other night, Gaara had tended to Yuki's injuries and cooked her a simple meal of fish soup, bringing it to her in his bed. He had sat down beside her as she ate, looking her over and wondering the same questions that were plaguing his mind today.

"Am I in love with Yuki? I did love her as a cat, but those feelings were different from what I'm experiencing now. When I saw her crying and in pain, I just wanted to hurt anyone who had ever looked at her defiantly. I wanted to protect her."

Gaara massaged his temples, feeling a headache coming on from the chaos of thoughts, feelings, and memories that were currently swarming through him. If he was truly honest with himself, all he wanted to do was be with Yuki right now. He couldn't lie to himself, whenever he was with her things just felt… right.

When they had first met, human-to-human, Gaara was timid and shy around her. He had never been touched the way Yuki touched him. He had never been spoken to the way Yuki spoke to him. He had never been with another person the way Yuki was with him. And every moment they were together just felt right.

As Gaara was coming to these conclusions he couldn't help but feel he needed to share these new-found realizations with Yuki. He wanted so much for her to be there with him, so he could spill everything that had been bubbling-up inside of him since she had come into his life.

And that's when Gaara realized it. Ever since Yuki had transformed into a human, he had lost his way of communicating his feelings and thoughts. He had felt so at peace when Yuki was a cat because he could talk to her about everything without fear or guilt. When he lost his cat he lost his way of release.

"But I never truly lost my outlet," Gaara thought. "She was always right there by my side, just as a human. I always had my crutch and I still have her, I've just been too blind to see it. I do love her. I loved her as a cat, but I'm in love with her as a human."

At this realization, Gaara quickly departed from his office. As he walked down the winding staircase leading to the exit, he was abruptly stopped by a hand on his shoulder. "Woah there! Where do you think you're going Gaara?" It was Temari.

Gaara blinked at his eldest sibling. He hadn't seen her for quite some time, due to her mission in Konoha.

"Temari, I can't talk right now. I'll have to talk to you later. I have someone that I must go and see."

Gaara began his departure down the steps once more before Temari shouted, "But I need to tell you something important I found out while in Konoha! It's about that girl with-"

But Gaara was already out the door before Temari could finish her sentence.


End file.
